Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1887-06-02
written for the Evening Capital)
The Work Of the General Assembly of ia.
Presbyterian Church.

Inc WORK o. the 0eneraI Assembly of the
Presbyterian Church.
The work Of the General Assembly of
the Presbyterian Church in this country
was the subject Of the lecture at the Pres
byterian Church last night.
The sessions of the Assembly are al.
ways opened with religious services and
a sermon by the retiring Moderator The
oillce OF Moderator is regarded as the most
honorable in the church, and has been
filled during the last century by many
who have been well-known throughout
the country. Witherspoon, whose SER
vices were so valuable in the Continental
Congress was the first of a long line Of
distinguished men.
The last Assembly elected Rev. DR..
Smith, OF Baltimore, as Moderator, and
he viii preach the sermon at the opening
Of the next Assembly This will be the
Centennial Assembly, and will hold its
meetings In Philadelphia where the first
Assembly was organized.
The Assembly consisted Of nearly 500
members, who were the representatives of
a membership of 700 900. They came
from Presbyteries of foreign countries as
well as from our own. The colored peo-
pie, the Indians, the people of India, of
South America, Mexico and many other
countries were represented. Every year
the Assembly is becoming more and more
cosmopolitan in character, as the work of
the church advances.
a pleasant event occurred soon after the
opening Of the Assembly, in the reception
of a delegation from the Protestant Epis-
copal Council OF the State of Nebraska,
then in session in Omaha. They bore the
fratcrnal greeting Of their body TO the
Assembly. The addresses made on the
occasion were we'll received and made
favorable impression.
As different branches of our church are
carrying on missions in different heather
lands, the Assembly recommended that
all unite in their work ia these countries.
Then came up series of resolutions on
union with the Church South This
church separated from us early In the
war, and has remained in that attitude
ever since. The desire to unite has been
in the minds Of our people for several
years, and for some time in the minds of
many of their people. Many of their
prominent ministers and laymen have pre-
ferred to remain as a separate church, and
all efforts made to unite the two branches
up to this time have been without effect.
Committees have been appointed in both
churches, and these willTeport at the next
meeting Of their Assemblies the result of
their conference.
The arrangements for the proper OBJ
servance of the centennial of the forma-
ton OF the General Assembly were com
pleted. For hundred years the highest
court of the church has been regarded as
this body, and has met annually, though
the history of the church in this country
covers period of more than a hundred
years before the formation of the Assem-
bly,.
The centennial will be meeting of great
interest in which the Southern Church
have agreed to take part. Then will be
reported the amounts given by the church
as a centennial offering, and many papers
viii be read on the history, character and
influence of the Presbyterian church in
this country.
The disabled ministers, the widows Of
ministers and their orphan children, who
have received aid from the Board of Min.
isterial Relief during the year have mum
bered about 1900
The Sabbath school work of the church
has grown in the past year and we have
over 100, 900 scholars in our schools.
We have $50 missionaries and teachers
laboring among the colored people of the
South, and have 217 churches and 10 $50
MEMBERS.
by the report of the committee on Home
Missions, we learn that the board has
1865 ministers employed and an addition
al 200 ministers arc needed at once to en-
ter upon this work. 175 new churches
have been organized during the year, and
100000 are needed for the year which
now begins.
BY the report of the committee on aid
FOR colleges, we learn that they had assist
ed in the support of 30 institutions during
the past year.
The work of our Board of Foreign Mis-
sions was very successful during the past
year, and for that work the Assembly re-
commended that one milliondollars should
be raised during this year 7S4 600 dol
lars were raised in the past year. The
Women S Societies gave PAS, 900 dollars of
this amount, "a 900 more than the pre-
eeding year, and the scholars of our Sab
bath Schools increased their donations
$4,000.
The work of the other boards of the
church-as Publication, Education. Oh.
Erection, &c. ,fands the condition of our
Theological Seminaries, were presented
and met with the approval of the Assem-
bly,.
A great many other subjects came be-
fore the Assembly, such as the reply to
paper sent by tho Protestant Episcopal
church, the subject of Temperance. &c.
&C. which we have not time 10 consider
now aud must omit.